Engineered for Endurance...

We all have our running "go to" brands. The ones we rely on for accuracy, comfort or safety. The brands with products that are permanently on our wish lists. And while I have different brands that I depend on for different things, my "go to" brand for running tights is CW-X. Without a doubt they are the best running tights I've ever worn!

I'm not going to go into all the magical technical details about their patented support web because you can read all about it on their website [link at the end of the post]. But what I will do is give you my personal (unpaid and therefore unbiased) review.

{As a little disclaimer, I did get a pair of running pants to tryout. But CW-X didn't ask me to review or promote it. I'm doing that on my own because I love their products, and they work really well for me}

Back in the dark days (let's call that period "pre-CW-X") I wore a knee brace and used KT tape and a variety of different warps when I ran. During my pre-CW-X days I needed the knee brace, and then that progressed into being too scared to run without it. But one day (let's call that "the day my knees fell back in love with me") I heard about CW-X and found my way to their website to check them out. I did hours of research on their line of running tights since I wasn't 100% certain what type of support I needed. I also looked at a few reviews, and stopped people after races to ask them if they thought the tights were a good deal (they all said yes). But at the end of the day, when I went to buy my very first pair I chose the tights that had the most symbols beside it cause I figured the more stuff the tights can do the better...

9 miles + 11 miles...

I was thinking about the significance of today as I was driving home to type this blog post. Kai and I had just finished watching Sully (you should see it if you haven't already) and I was once again in awe of the miracle that occurred when that flight landed safely on the Hudson River. Today as we remember one of the saddest days in the country's history, most of which centered around New York, I was able to watch a movie that celebrated something amazing (which also centered around New York). I by no means mention the movie in an attempt to take away from the significance of today. September 11th 2001 will never be forgotten. We will always remember where we were when we heard or saw tragedy unfolding right before our eyes. We will never forget how we felt in that moment. This day will always remind us to never take any day for granted. To always tell the people we love that we love them. To thank those that risked their lives on that day, and those who continue to do so every day.

This morning's "9 + 11" run went well...

An Open Letter To My Brands...

Dear Garmin,
I should totally be a brand ambassador for your fitness watches...

There are several reasons for this but the main one is cause I love them and I spend a considerable amount of time strategically planning for when I can get the latest model. Don't get me wrong, my love for your watches isn't a blind stalker-ish kind of love. It is conditional on performance. But so far you have never disappointed me (although you really need to work on tracking open water swimming on all your multi-sport devices). By-the-way, thanks so much for Garmin Connect. Whoever thought of that should get a raise (you're welcome Steve... I'm just kidding I don't really know anyone named Steve that works for Garmin). Anyway, no pressure about the brand ambassador thing. It's just a really good idea (if I do say so myself) and you seem to be a company that has a lot of really good ideas product & promotion-wise. Anointing me "brand ambassador extraordinaire" would just be an extension of that. But like I said, no pressure.

Sincerely,
Your loyal "runner and expert open water swimmer-to-be" customer
LeAnne

P.S (my contact information is: thisismyfaster@gmail.com, you know, should you need it)

Why I Don't Wear Race Shirts...

I don't wear race shirts. I keep them, but I don't wear them because I'm saving them. Don't worry, this isn't the introduction to a blog episode of "Hoarders". I'm actually saving my race shirts because one day I want to make a race-shirt quilt...

I got the idea to do a race shirt quilt shortly after I started running so I never got into the habit of wearing the shirts on race day or during regular training runs. There were a few exceptions (like the color run shirt) but other than that I've kept them safely tucked away in my closet...

The Shoe Chronicles...

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I was supposed to start another "30 day challenge" this month and commit to doing a blog post every day. Well… four days into that plan I'm writing my first blog post for February, so I'm going to attempt the challenge next month. But until that starts I didn't want to put off some of the things that I've been wanting to blog about; like my running shoes...

(some have been demoted to "gym" shoes and "wear with my scrubs" shoes)

A Short Post...

I spend a lot of time obsessing over researching various running related things. A recent addition to my list of running "research topics" has been running shorts. I'm new to the world of running shorts because (like most women) there are areas of my body that I typically prefer to keep covered. My legs are one of those areas...

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While I have gained a lot more confidence and most some of my body image issues have subsided since I started running, my recent gravitation towards running shorts has been necessitated primarily by the insane S. FL weather (like the >80% humidity levels). Heat and humidity don't work well with being all covered up. In fact, I found some pretty standard recommendations for how you should dress for your run based on the temperatures outside...